


If brokenness is a work of art, I must be a masterpiece

by GoodSir



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Child Abuse, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Multi, credence just really needs a long hug, don't ask me how that works with all the timelines, why am i doing this to him??
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-19
Updated: 2016-12-19
Packaged: 2018-09-09 16:32:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8899552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoodSir/pseuds/GoodSir
Summary: In which Credence is the family secret that's kept in the basement.





	

If anyone ever asked Credence what his favorite color was, he would answer blue. Blue was the infinite expanse of the sky, it was the color the delicate gossamer wings of the butterfly that once sat in-between the bars of his window, the broad spread of the ocean that went as far as he could see, it was beautiful and it was freedom. Credence did not see blue often anymore, when he did see it, it was a dark oppressive navy of his mother’s coat which swirled closer to black than the bright color he could stare at for hours.

His mother lived by the philosophy children should be seen not heard, except, it only applied to him. His sisters Chastity and Modesty were free to talk to Mother, to raise their voices and play.

He was to do whatever his mother said. If she told him he was a disappointment he would agree, if she told him to polish all the shoes he did, if she told him he wasn't to go near the windows while upstairs he didn’t, if she told him there was no food for him he would wait and hope the next day there would be. When she demanded his belt, he threaded it from the loops of his jeans with the heavy feeling of apprehension settling low in his gut and handed it to her.

He would always turn as to have a window in the corner of vision, just so he could see a glimpse of blue for a moment before he saw red for the rest of the day.

—

Red was a ugly color and it covered his hands and back. It was apologetically brazen in whatever it covered, it demanded attention above all else. He scrubbed his hands, watching the dyed water spiral down the drain of the basin. He wondered if he would ever be able to rid his skin of all the red that worked its way into every crevice, he wondered if there was any point washing it off if tomorrow was only going to bring about more blood to dye his skin.

He moved stiffly to sit on the edge of the bathtub before attempting to rub the dried blood from the lashes on his back. The pain took his breath away with each stroke of the cloth, it felt like sandpaper trying to reach a new layer of his skin. As much as he wished he could take a moment between each painful stroke he was almost out of time. He was sure his allotted ten minutes to clean himself was almost up and he would not be allowed back in the main bathroom for another two days.

He gave up and made peace that the coming days would be full of ignoring the itch of his dried blood, settling with the comfort that he at least had enough time to brush his teeth. When his mother’s footsteps reverberated up the wooden stairs he was standing in the hallway, ready for her to guide him to the basement and lock the door for the night.

He walked over to the small window that peeked above the ground and peered looked at the night sky. His heart winged mournfully as he gazed at the winking stars. He hoped something would change soon. It had almost been a year since his mother and the minister of the church she worked for had found Credence and the minister’s son hidden in one of the many alcoves of the church, kissing each other.

Their romance was only a fledgling one, not worth as much to Daniel as his relationship with his strictly traditional father. Credence read it in his eyes seconds before the hand that had been tangled in his shirt, pulling Credence closer, violently pushed him away.

Daniel shouted, calling Credence a _faggot_ and _sinner_ who had forced himself on him. Words stuttered their way from Credence’s mouth as he tried to refute Daniel’s claims, however the Minister was already politely phrasing his demand that Mary Lou and her family never step in his church or come near his family again with hard eyes and a mouth itching to warn others against the Barebones and their freak of a son.

Shame faced, his mother hurried him home, pulled his sisters from school before contacting an agent to put their home up for sale. Before the week ended Mary Lou had uprooted her family from one small conservative town where they were the outcasts (all because of his goddamn stupid mistake, he should have never-) to another small conservative town on the opposite side of America. His sisters were told not to talk about Credence to anyone, that he needed to stay home to get better, while they entered the new house under the cloak of darkness to prevent the possibility of any passersby or new neighbors seeing Credence.

He was the unspeakable secret hidden in the family basement. TV shows and books made it a place that kept something sinister out of view, a dead body, a drug lab, a monster. He was something to be feared and looked down upon by others. His world had been so vast and full of motion was now confined to the brick walls of the house and static, like a film that had been left on pause.

He slipped into the sleeping bag, wriggling trying to find a position where the hard cement didn’t bite into his body. He exhaled and pleaded quietly to a God who had turned their back on him until his mouthed dried.

As he drifted to sleep, the trees leafs rustled outside his window the wind carrying whispers of promise.

**Author's Note:**

> Please tell me if this was too angsty Mc-angst and if fucked up my tenses, I can never do either of those correctly.


End file.
